Spirit AeroSystems workers are gearing up to increase production on the front sections for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. (Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011)
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Spirit AeroSystems workers are gearing up to increase production on the front sections for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. (Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011)
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Completed cockpit of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Spirit AeroSystems workers are gearing up to increase production on the front sections for the plane. (Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011)
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Spirit AeroSystems shipside support workers are gearing up to increase production on the front sections for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. (Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011)
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Spirit AeroSystems 787 Dreamliner production manager Terry George. Spirit workers are gearing up to increase production on the front sections for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. (Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011)
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Spirit AeroSystems workers are gearing up to increase production on the front sections for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. (Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011)
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Spirit AeroSystems is expanding its facility on the land of the former Kansas Humane Society building ner K-15 as it increase production on the front sections for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. (Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011)
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Spirit installed a 30-foot by 70-foot autoclave to take on the project.

The autoclave weighs the same as 145 Hummer SUVs, is big enough to park four semi-trucks inside and has enough electrical capacity to supply nearly 2,000 homes.

Spirit is now fully meeting its contractual obligations for the condition of assembly, George said.

It's delivering the section completed to the level agreed to with Boeing at the program's beginning.

Spirit recently began to reach all the testing that's needed on the section — testing of the cockpit displays and software, the hydraulics and landing gear.

One of Spirit's biggest challenges, however, was the repeated delays in the program, George said.

The program is more than three years behind the original schedule.

Over time, Boeing's launch-to-delivery time increased from an ambitious four years to more than seven.

Boeing has had seven production holds to allow late suppliers to catch up.

With a record number of supplier partners on the program and a steep learning curve, Boeing officials have said their oversight on the program was too lax in the beginning. They also have questioned how much work they've placed with outside suppliers.

At the same time, officials have repeatedly hailed Spirit as a successful partner and supplier on the program.

Challenges

There are challenges ahead.

Spirit's goal is to continue to make improvements in the aircraft's manufacturing as mechanics become more efficient to complete work.

The company must build the sections more efficiently.

The way to do that is with repetition and input from those who work on it, George said.

"You keep the faith and you keep cycling the airplanes," George said. "You allow the people to learn. You get traction and you keep going."

Spirit's challenges mirror Boeing's, said Aboulafia, the Teal Group analyst.

All of Boeing's 787 partners, including Spirit, must build the aircraft in a way that makes money, he said.

Typically, the early airplanes of a new model aren't profitable because of the learning curve involved on how to produce them, he said.

"All partners bear the responsibility of building an aircraft with manufacturing costs that don't result in losses," Aboulafia said.

Despite the challenges, the 787 program is a "labor of love," George said.

"Everybody has spent a significant number of years of their life on this program," he said. "It's very satisfying to see this airplane going into service."